Malaysia's political landscape is heading into another period of uncertainty after former UMNO Supreme Council member Datuk Puad Zarkashi claimed that Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Dato' Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is positioning himself as a "prime minister in waiting", while PAS is seeking a path back into the federal government.
Puad's earlier remarks came against the backdrop of UMNO and PAS reviving political cooperation for the Negeri Sembilan state election, a development that has reshaped Malaysia's political landscape ahead of the 16th General Election (GE16).
In a Facebook post, Puad alleged that both UMNO and PAS have compelling short-term objectives that explain their renewed willingness to cooperate despite the collapse of the Muafakat Nasional alliance.
According to him, Zahid's long-term political objective is to eventually become Malaysia's next prime minister, while PAS is eager to regain a place in the federal administration after spending years in the opposition.
His comments followed BN deputy chairman Dato' Seri Mohamad Hasan's announcement that BN would work with "trusted partners" in the upcoming Negeri Sembilan state election. Although Mohamad did not identify the party involved, PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang had earlier confirmed discussions between PAS and BN over electoral cooperation.
Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Dato' Seri Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar has since acknowledged approving negotiations with BN for the August 1 state election, signalling that PAS is prepared to pursue a pragmatic electoral strategy despite its existing alliance within PN.
The move has further widened tensions within PN, with Bersatu openly expressing dissatisfaction over PAS's willingness to negotiate with BN. Bersatu has since decided to contest under its own party logo instead of using the PN symbol, highlighting the growing cracks within the opposition coalition after the parties already clashed publicly during the Johor state election.
Puad earlier argued that Mohamad's reference to a "trusted partner" could only mean PAS, despite the UMNO deputy president previously describing the Islamist party in 2023 as disloyal and insincere.
He also urged Bersatu to directly challenge PAS by contesting every seat fielded by the Islamist party in Negeri Sembilan, saying such contests would expose what he described as PAS's treatment of its own allies.
The latest political developments have also intensified strains within the Unity Government.
Although BN supported Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim after the hung Parliament produced by the 2022 general election, relations between PH and BN have steadily deteriorated over recent months.
The first major flashpoint came when BN chose to contest the Johor state election independently instead of maintaining electoral cooperation with PH. That relationship now appears even more fragile after BN's willingness to explore cooperation with PAS for the Negeri Sembilan polls.
Adding to the political drama, former Damansara MP Tony Pua has warned that Zahid could eventually become Malaysia's next prime minister if PH supporters become complacent at GE16.
Speaking at a DAP fundraising dinner, Pua urged voters not to abstain or support what he described as "spoiler parties", an apparent reference to Dato' Seri Rafizi Ramli's Parti Bersama Malaysia, which split PH's vote in several Johor constituencies.
Pua argued that every vote diverted away from PH would strengthen BN's position and increase the possibility of Zahid emerging as prime minister after the next general election.
While acknowledging that PH has yet to fulfil all of its reform promises, he maintained that the coalition remains the country's best option for continuing economic growth and institutional reforms.
He cited Malaysia's stronger-than-expected 5.8% GDP growth during the second quarter and the strengthening ringgit as evidence that the Anwar administration is moving the country in the right direction.
At the same time, Pua encouraged Malaysians to continue holding PH accountable by criticising and pressuring the coalition to fulfil its remaining reform commitments rather than abandoning it at the ballot box.
As the Negeri Sembilan state election approaches, the political battlefield is no longer defined simply by government versus opposition. Instead, it has become a contest shaped by shifting alliances, leadership ambitions and competing calculations ahead of GE16.
Whether UMNO and PAS can successfully rebuild cooperation, whether Bersatu's resistance further fractures PN, and whether PH can preserve the Unity Government coalition may ultimately determine not only the outcome of the state election but also who occupies Putrajaya after the next general election.
By: Kpost
Information Source:
Kpost (ckhorsk@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
The User Content (as defined on Newswav Terms of Use) above including the views expressed and media (pictures, videos, citations etc) were submitted & posted by the author. Newswav is solely an aggregation platform that hosts the User Content. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact creator@newswav.com.
